Woman faces hard time for plot to kill her twin

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, May 9, 1998

1998-05-09 04:00:00 PDT SANTA ANA -- SANTA ANA - Rejecting pleas for leniency and a new trial, a judge sentenced a woman to 26 years to life in prison for conspiring in a failed 1996 plan to murder her identical twin.

Jeen "Gina" Han, 24, told the judge before sentencing Friday that she never had any intention of killing her sister, Sunny Han.

"I'm deeply sorry for everything that has happened," she said tearfully. "I'm very, very sorry. I just feel very bad and extremely remorseful for all the pain I have caused to my sister, my community and to my entire family."

"it is obvious Ms. Han is a danger to society, particularly against her family. She has repeatedly committed crimes against her family."

In rejecting a request for a new trial, the judge said there was sufficient evidence of a conspiracy to commit murder.

She also sentenced accomplice Archie Bryant, 18, to 16 years in prison and placed John Sayarath, 16, in the custody of the California Youth Authority for 90 days. The CYA will determine whether he can be rehabilitated. Otherwise, the judge said, she would sentence him to eight years and four months.

Jeen Han and the two teenagers were convicted in November of conspiracy to commit the murder of her sister, residential burglary and false imprisonment. The jury also found true against all three defendants a special circumstance allegation of using a firearm in the commission of the crime.

In addition, Jeen Han was convicted of commercial burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Authorities said the trio went to Sunny Han's apartment after Jeen Han left a work-furlough program in San Diego County where she was serving a sentence for writing checks on her sister's bank account.

As Jeen Han waited outside, the teens forced their way into the apartment, tied up Sunny Han and a roommate, but released them as Irvine police arrived.

During the trial, the defense maintained that Jeen Han only wanted to retrieve her driver's license and clothes from her sister, who had refused to return them. She wanted help because she was afraid of her sister, witnesses said.

Jeen Han drew the harshest sentence possible despite emotional pleas from family and supporters. Dae-In Kim, president of the South Korean-based Citizens' Union for Good Law and Government, flew to California to give testimony.

Cultural differences should be taken into consideration in a new trial, Kim testified Friday. &lt;